U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,638,916 and 5,489,035 disclose dispensing closures of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction. These closures include a base with a dispensing opening and an internally threaded skirt for securement to a container finish. A lid is integrally connected by a hinge to the periphery of the base. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a dispensing closure of this type having a feature that resists opening by a child.
A child-resistant dispensing closure in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention includes a base having a deck with a dispensing opening and a peripheral skirt. A lid is integrally molded with the base and coupled by a hinge to the base so as to be pivotable between closed and open positions. One of the base and the lid has a latch arm resiliently extending from its periphery diametrically opposite the hinge. The latch arm has a pair of oppositely extending tabs adjacent to a free end of the arm. The other of the base and the lid has an axial passage for receiving the latch arm, and a pair of laterally spaced ledges in the passage for engagement by the tabs to lock the lid in the closed position. The latch arm is directly manually engageable by a user from a radial direction external to the closure to pivot the latch arm radially inwardly within the passage and release the tabs from the ledges so that the lid can be pivoted to the open position.